Listen "#58 - Laura Roos (Minny & Paul)"
Episode Synopsis
Ever felt stuck running a business you no longer love—but you’re scared to let go? Meet Laura Roos, who sold her company without a broker, while pregnant, and turned the proceeds into her next seven-figure startup. This episode is messy, honest, and full of real talk about what it actually takes to walk away.
00:28 Meet Laura Roos
01:42 Building Minny & Paul from a $5K bet
04:20 First big corporate client and early growth
06:05 Expanding beyond Minnesota and scaling operations
08:12 The word-of-mouth flywheel and pandemic boom
10:18 Hitting the seven-year itch — COO runs the show
12:05 The birth of Mary & Jane and the microdosing insight
15:10 To sell or not to sell — the burnout vs. new obsession
17:32 Why the broker route didn’t fit
19:04 The bold move — emailing competitors directly
21:02 The first LOI disappointment and the valuation wake-up
23:40 Terms that matter — payout timing and sales percentage trap
26:00 How she built leverage and negotiated smarter
28:10 From cold email to signed deal in under 3 months
29:22 Post-sale headaches — the earnout mistake
31:20 Renegotiating to freedom — new deal, fixed payouts
32:15 Mary & Jane rockets to 7 figures in 18 months
34:00 Why microdosing hit differently (and who hated it)
35:10 The founder itch — why she’ll never stop building
36:12 Advice for small business owners “too small to sell”
38:05 Closing reflections and what’s next for Laura
00:28 Meet Laura Roos
01:42 Building Minny & Paul from a $5K bet
04:20 First big corporate client and early growth
06:05 Expanding beyond Minnesota and scaling operations
08:12 The word-of-mouth flywheel and pandemic boom
10:18 Hitting the seven-year itch — COO runs the show
12:05 The birth of Mary & Jane and the microdosing insight
15:10 To sell or not to sell — the burnout vs. new obsession
17:32 Why the broker route didn’t fit
19:04 The bold move — emailing competitors directly
21:02 The first LOI disappointment and the valuation wake-up
23:40 Terms that matter — payout timing and sales percentage trap
26:00 How she built leverage and negotiated smarter
28:10 From cold email to signed deal in under 3 months
29:22 Post-sale headaches — the earnout mistake
31:20 Renegotiating to freedom — new deal, fixed payouts
32:15 Mary & Jane rockets to 7 figures in 18 months
34:00 Why microdosing hit differently (and who hated it)
35:10 The founder itch — why she’ll never stop building
36:12 Advice for small business owners “too small to sell”
38:05 Closing reflections and what’s next for Laura
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